Portuguese Egg Tart Recipe

Make dough

Combine flour, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl. Add the cold cubed butter and use a pastry cutter or your fingertips to work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized pieces of butter remaining.

Sprinkle the cold water over the mix and gently fold with a fork until the dough just comes together. Do not overwork. If the dough is still dry, add up to 1 more teaspoon cold water, 1/2 teaspoon at a time.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and press it into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes while you prepare the custard. Chilling firms the butter and helps create a tender, flaky crust.

After chilling, roll the dough thinly (about 1/8 inch / 3 mm) on a lightly floured surface. Cut rounds slightly larger than your tart tins (use a 3-inch cutter for 2.5-inch tins). Gently press the dough into 6 standard Portuguese tartlet tins or muffin cups, pressing the edges to fit. Trim excess dough. Refrigerate formed shells while you finish the custard.

Lightly brush the inside of each tin with a little neutral oil or melted butter to help release the tartlets after baking.

Heat milk and cream

In a medium saucepan, combine the whole milk and heavy cream. Add the lemon zest if using. Warm over medium heat until it is hot and steaming but not boiling (small bubbles forming at the edge). Remove from heat and let steep 5 minutes to infuse lemon if used.

Whisk egg mixture

While the milk steeps, whisk together the egg yolks, whole egg, granulated sugar (3.5 tbs), and cornstarch in a heatproof bowl until smooth and slightly thickened and the sugar begins to dissolve. Add vanilla extract and whisk briefly.

Temper the eggs: slowly pour one-third of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture in a thin stream while whisking constantly to raise the eggs' temperature without scrambling. Then slowly whisk in the remaining milk until fully combined.

Return the combined mixture to the saucepan and cook over low-medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula until the custard slightly thickens and coats the back of the spoon, about 2–4 minutes. Do not boil. The cornstarch will help stabilize the custard. Once thickened, remove from heat and let cool for 5–8 minutes.

Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove any cooked egg bits and the lemon zest. This ensures a silky smooth filling.

Preheat oven

Preheat oven to 475°F (245°C). This high temperature helps get the characteristic blistered brown spots on top of the custard.

Fill shells: remove the prepared tart shells from the refrigerator and pour the warm (not boiling) custard into each shell, filling almost to the top but leaving a few millimeters of edge to allow for bubbling. Fill each tart shell evenly (about 2/3 to 3/4 full, depending on tin depth).

Bake: place the filled tins on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 10–14 minutes. Watch closely: the custard should puff slightly and develop dark caramelized spots on top. Rotate the pan halfway through if your oven browns unevenly.

Finish: remove tarts from oven when the custard is set around the edges but slightly jiggly in the center — it will finish setting as it cools. Let the tartlets cool in the tins on a rack for 10–15 minutes, then carefully unmold.

Serve: dust lightly with powdered sugar if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature. The tarts are best the day they are made but will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.